Heuchera plant named &#39;Sugar Berry&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant characterized by small silver leaves with prominent dark veins, spring and new leaves with a purple tint, light pink buds to white flowers on dark flower stalks, repeat blooming on short, dark flower stalks, a small, multi-crowned, low mounding habit, and excellent vigor.

BOTANICAL DENOMINATION

Heuchera hybrid

VARIETY DESIGNATION

‘Sugar Berry’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucheraand given the cultivar name of ‘Sugar Berry’. Heuchera is in the familySaxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Sugar Berry’ originated from a controlled crossbetween Heuchera K326-2, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, as theseed parent, and Heuchera K326-4, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid,as, as the pollen parent.

Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera K326-2, the new cultivar hassmaller leaves and with new leaves that have a purple tint rather thansilver with dark veins.

Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera K326-4, the new cultivar has anexcellent crown count rather than a low crown count and shorterflowering stems.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Shanghai’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,859, the newcultivar forms a lower mound that does not get “stemmy” over time, haslight pink rather than cream colored flowers, has main veins that areprominently dark rather than all the veins, and leaves that are rounderwith shallower leaf lobes.

This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:

1. small silver leaves with prominent dark veins,

2. spring and new leaves with a purple tint

3. light pink buds to white flowers on dark flower stalks,

4. repeat blooming on short, dark flower stalks,

5. small, multi-crowned, low mounding habit, and

6. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tipcuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttingsand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a nine-month-old plant of Heuchera ‘Sugar Berry’ growing ina one gallon pot in a cool greenhouse in early July in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations of two-year-old specimens growing in one galloncontainers in a cold greenhouse in March in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95° F. inAugust to an average of 32° F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1999 edition, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—17 cm tall from top of the foliage to the soil and 37            cm wide.        -   Habit.—mounding.        -   Vigor.—excellent.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—simple.        -   Arrangement.—rosette.        -   Shape.—broadly ovate to orbicular.        -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow lobes.        -   Venation.—palmate.        -   Margins.—crenate, slightly wavy.        -   Apex.—mucronulate.        -   Base.—cordate.        -   Blade size.—grows to 7 cm long and 6.5 cm wide.        -   Texture.—supple.        -   Surface texture.—glandular on top and bottom side.        -   Petiole description.—grows to 14 cm long and 2 mm wide,            glandular hairs, Greyed Purple 187A.        -   Leaf color.—topside, new leaves in spring between Purple 79A            and Purple N77C with veins Greyed Purple N186A, bottom side            closest to Purple N77A; summer leaves closest to Black 202B            tinted Purple 79A with veins Black 203D; winter leaves are            closest to Black 202B with veins Black 203D, bottom side            Greyed Purple N187A.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Size.—grows to 3.5 cm wide and 9 cm long.        -   Type.—thyrse.        -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—about 60.        -   Number of thyrse.—about 5 in the first spring flush,            reblooming all summer to frost.        -   Peduncle.—grows to 20 cm long, 3 mm wide at base, Purple            N77A, glandular hairs.        -   Pedicel.—variable in size, with glandular hairs, Purple            N77A.        -   Bloom period.—May through October in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—2 mm wide and 2 mm long.        -   Description.—glandular puberulent, ovoid, down facing.        -   Color.—Red Purple 65B on the bottom ⅓ and 62D on the top ⅔.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—perfect.        -   Shape.—campanulate.        -   Size.—5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide.        -   Corolla description.—5 petals, 2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide,            narrowly spatulate, margins entire, tip acute, glabrous top            and glandular on bottom, White NN155C.        -   Calyx description.—campanulate, 5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide,            with 5 lobes divided ½ way to the base, each 2 mm wide and            3.5 mm long, glandular hairs outside and inside, tips            obtuse, margin entire; color outside and inside NN155B with            tints of Red Purple 62D on outside lobe tips and base.        -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 1.5 mm long,            White NN155C, anthers 0.2 mm, Orange 26A, pollen none.        -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 4 mm long and 2 mm wide,            Red Purple 69C overall; ovary 1.5 mm long and 2 mm wide,            style 2.5 mm long.        -   Fragrance.—none.        -   Lastingness.—each thyrse blooms for about 3 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Fertility.—low.        -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199C.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—linear.        -   Size.—2 mm long.        -   Color.—Black 202A.-   Pest and disease tolerance: The new cultivar is typical to the    genus. No known resistances to pests or diseases. No problems have    been found in Canby, Oreg.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.